Timothy Su SID#: 19558428 Chinese Herb Seminar 4/12/08 Workshop: Seminar on Chinese Herbs and Medical Ailments This Saturday, I went to Chinatown with my mother to a seminar on Chinese herbs, and how certain of them work in treating medical ailments. Though I had some experience with herbs such as ginger and ginseng, I wanted a more comprehensive view of Chinese herbal medicine. I find something very beautiful in herbal medicine, something very beautiful in the ties it creates between the plant and the human body. While I realize that our society is progressing towards allopathic-centered healthcare, I feel that there is still much to be gleaned from these time-tested medicinal practices. The seminar mentioned five primary herbs: ginseng ( renshen) , ginger ( jiang ), astragalus ( huangqi ), rehmannia ( huangqi ), and rhubarb ( dihuang ). Ginseng, which my mom often gave me before I became sick, worked to regulate blood sugar, increase oxygen intake

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Unformatted text preview: efficiency, and bolster ones immune system. Ginger, which my mom would also frequently prescribe me through brewing a ginger tea, acts as an expectorant, releasing mucus-filled coughs when suffering from the common cold while also better ventilating the lungs. Ginger also functions in alleviating nausea induced from a variety of sources, and also helps purify your body from toxins in food. Astragalus works to fix problems in digestion, treat skin burns, and boost the levels of white blood cells, something very important for cancer patients. Rehmannia works to restore a sort of hormonal balance, and supposedly acts to keep the body young. Finally, the instructor spoke of rhubarb, a laxative herb that also stimulates greater blood circulation and relieves pain. Overall, this informational seminar was both educational and enjoyable, and taught me a lot about traditional Chinese herbal medication....
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